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Sometimes the marketing hype associated with broadband products goes just a tad too far.
Michael is a Verizon DSL customer living with Verizon’s $34.99 3Mbps DSL service. He reported to The Consumerist that a nearby friend in the same zip code was able to get Verizon’s 7Mbps service for $42.99 a month, so he called Verizon to see if he could obtain the same service.
I was told that it wasn’t available at my address, which is in the same zip code, but they sure can offer me 5MB for $49.99. After the run around, I politely declined and left everything be.
[Upon further checking their website] 7MB is available for my address, and for $42.99 with contract! Call #1 ended up me being told that I can in fact get 7MB but for $49.99. I declined and said no thank you. Call #2 told me that 7MB was not available, only 5MB, and it also was $49.99. I declined and called back a third time. Call #3 told me I can upgrade to 7MB but only online as “they have different specials we don’t honor over the phone.” The problem? My address states it has 7MB available… as a NEW account. If I log in my account and choose to upgrade, I can only order 5MB. I call back again, and a couple calls routed me to either the Philippines or India, and I politely hung up in frustration even before I started a conversation.
[...]
At this point I was livid and called to cancel my service. The woman told me 7MB is absolutely 100% definitely not available for my address. She couldn’t explain why I could order it as a new account but not as an existing customer. The next part takes the cake from every reply I’ve ever heard. I directly asked “why is it I can open a new account with 7MB but I cannot order it as an existing customer?” Her response: “Your home cannot handle the 7MB speed. If I put in the order for 7MB, it will burn your house down.”
Michael was, of course, flabbergasted. Besides, it’s usually cable installers that set your house on fire.
Verizon’s rate plan shell game guarantees they are always the winner:
“Last night surprisingly I get an email about my Verizon account. My rates are being raised to $36.99 for my current 3MB service.” Presumably Verizon needs to purchase fire insurance to protect customers from the blazing fast speeds. Or is that red hot glow coming from customers?
The Consumerist recommends an e-mail carpet bombing of Verizon executives’ e-mail accounts to get someone to resolve his problems. Here’s a better answer for unresolved complaints regarding Verizon: Call the Verizon Executive Customer Relations office at 1-800-483-7988 and press 3.
Other stories of interest:
- Read Your E-Mail At Blazing Speed; Because We’re No Good For Anything Else!
- HissyFitWatch: Cablevision Delivers Customers Cap Free Blazing Speeds; TWC Says Forget It
- AT&T Faces Class Action Lawsuit Accusing DSL Provider of Capping Internet Speeds Well Below Those Advertised
- Time Warner Cable to Rochester: No Faster Speeds for You! — TWC Upgrading FiOS Cities to Ultra-Wideband Service
- AT&T Tells Employees to Parrot Company Talking Points In Anti-Net Neutrality Comments (But Use Your Personal E-Mail)
This is Bill Kula, a Verizon national media spokesman commenting on Laura Northrup’s original story in the Consumerist and partially covered here at Stop The Cap! about our customer Michael trying to increase his DSL-based Internet speed with us.
First, our DSL service introduced 11 years ago (and our fastest DSL service of up-to 7.1 Mbps offered two years ago and now available to 10 million households) is very safe. I can’t speak for the alleged words of the Verizon sales reps (I wasn’t on the line) with whom Michael spoke, but do not take their comments literally.
When you use our 7.1 Mbps service, you don’t need to call out the fire department for heaven’s sake. Michael got poor service over the phone and should not have had to spend so much personal time simply trying to get information on our dry loop DSL service.
We spoke to Michael this weekend and have apologized; we owe him better; and and we will use this case as an exercise in serious coaching of members of our team.
We’d like to continue providing Michael his high-speed Internet service. We are working to resolve his situation as we study the DSL-enabled central office that serves his residence which will determine what speed of service is available to Michael.
Customers can get lower dry loop DSL pricing when ordering online as compared to speaking to a rep at a call center. That’s one reason the rates provided to Michael are higher than what you will see in the following URL about our DSL pricing:
http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/HighSpeedInternet/Plans/Plans.htm
As you can see from our online pricing offers, online pricing for dry loop DSL is $19.99 for our up-to 1 Mbps service; $29.99 for our up-to 3 Mbps service; and $42.99 for our up to 7.1 Mbps service.
For all readers of the Consumerist and sites like Stop the Cap!, rest assured, our DSL-based service provides great value for the speed as compared to our competitors. And when you use it, your house won’t look like the over-the-top photo that supports the original Consumerist story or the one here at Stop the Cap! –Bill Kula, APR, william.kula@verizon.com
As someone who has worked in Customer Service (but not Verizon), I feel compelled to explain why Verizon’s agent said such a crazy thing to Michael. Our managers frequently memoed the team to let them know of changes in policy or new limits set on what we can do for our customers. Often, these new terms came without background explanations, seemed unfair or irrational. Worse yet, sometimes Agents are flatly told that they may not admit something that is embarrassing to the company (yes, our product catches fire / we’ve run out of free tv’s and we’re not ordering more).
Customers are entitled to ask the reason for policies, and in these cases, we have no idea, or can’t say. Supervisors are not always available (it’s true!) to make up something on the spot, so the Agent has to make up something herself. If it sounds good, other agents may pick up on it.
It sounds like Michael’s last Agent was simply unable or not permitted to tell Michael why he couldn’t have faster DSL in his area. Certainly, Michael had a good argument, right? Unfortunately, when the computer says NO, and it’s an issue which the agent has brought up with supervisors before, there is no room for negotiation. Possibly, his account, or his whole street was red-flagged for some reason (other 7Mb customers in his area may be complaining a lot, so they’re suspending new orders). Michael was frustrating his Agent, and she snapped. I can imagine Michael was leading her on with an exaggerated tone of voice, and the Agent responded in kind. She may have added “i’m just kidding, of course” and Michael’s left that part out.
Mr. Kula has certainly listened to the recorded call, and I *hope* he’s instructed the call center managers to allow the Agents to give a reasonable explanation from now on. Working in these call centres is so tiring and crushing to the soul because Agents must accomplish so much, in such a short amount of time, with literally no actual power to do anything. “Why did my rates go up?” “Sir, the Company is greedy and has no competition, that’s why”. Of course, you can’t ever admit that. Make up something twee like “Sir, it is in order to ensure our customers receive the highest quality of service and to lay the way for future improvements and expansions at our customer’s request”. Yeah, crap like that.
“I can imagine Michael was leading her on with an exaggerated tone of voice, and the Agent responded in kind.”
have you ever heard of the term “the customer is always right”? I don’t care if a customer is speaking in a vincent price voice when asking questions, rule number 1 in customer care is to not be a smartass to them even if they are being a smartass to you.
if all you can say is “sir i can’t comment on that” then that’s what you say, but patronizing your customers is never good business. even if you work for a company who’s business model is to drain as much money as possible from your customers before the apocalypse comes.
I know this sounds crazy, but some people actually don’t like talking to android-voiced customer service drones. Good CSRs can engage the customer, and banter a bit to make them feel like they actually connected with a company that has a heart. Some SLAs are much more restrictive, and frankly, they’re written by suits who have no idea what makes a good customer experience. “Hello, thank you for calling AOL… blah blah blah blah -3 paragraphs and 224 words later- …and how may I help to make your AOL experience *even better* than it is already, sir?”
Rule #1 is actually “insulate the company from the enraged public, and if possible talk the customer out of exercising their contract rights”. Number 2 is “maintain good control of the call”. About the only place you’ll get “the customer is always right” treatment these days is at 5-star hotels; and you’ll find your case of vintage Fresca still appears on your bill.
I had a similar experience with AT&T as I pointed out in a similar DSL article on this site not too long ago. Advertisement of speeds like 3Mb/sec or of the like and get 75% is just wrong when in fact they can deliver right on the spot that speed by syncing up at a higher rate. Bellsouth proved that when I had DSL service with them and complained. AT&T being the big bad corp,, blew me off like I was nothing of value. I am sure Verizon pulls the same shenanigans.