Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF for leaving early,
because Verizon had screwed up my bill pretty bad.

When I actually called to cancel the different rep said I would be charged
and told me she couldn't find the person who told me this.

Has this happened to others and what did you do?

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Sun, 29 May 2005 18:50:43 -0400, "ws2v" <ws2v@arrl.net> wrote:

>I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF for leaving early,
>because Verizon had screwed up my bill pretty bad.
>
>When I actually called to cancel the different rep said I would be charged
>and told me she couldn't find the person who told me this.
>
>Has this happened to others and what did you do?
>

I read the fine print of my contract and knew not to rely on the word
of an agent of the company who takes it upon himself to make verbal
changes to the agreement (which, IIRC, specifically forbids and thus,
voids any such changes).

But, that's just me.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"ws2v" <ws2v@arrl.net> wrote in news:7Hrme.3710$So7.3331@fe10.lga:

> Has this happened to others and what did you do?
>
>

Told them, "Come get me." and hung up.

They know goddamned well they're not going to spend $50K prosecuting
someone living in a trailer trying to get $200 out of them.....

What bullshit!

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Larry W4CSC wrote:

> Told them, "Come get me." and hung up.
>
> They know goddamned well they're not going to spend $50K prosecuting
> someone living in a trailer trying to get $200 out of them.....

They're not going to spend a cent prosecuting anyone, as it isn't a criminal
offense. The most that'll happen is a civil lawsuit. And the most that'll
happen if you don't show up to court is that they get a default judgment and
then can do a bank sweep and automatically take money out of your bank
account(s) to satisfy the judgment - all perfectly legal; I did it to
someone I worked for who stiffed me on about $3500 worth of invoices, a few
years back.

Of course, Larry constantly says stuff like this, ignoring the fact that as
someone else said, it's the written contract that counts. Many contracts
state that the terms can only be changed by an officer of the company;
there's a reason for that. I think you're stuck, but you can try disputing
it if you wish. At any rate, ignore Larry's advice because it will get you
into trouble.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Sun, 29 May 2005 20:35:24 -0700, Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net>
wrote:

>The most that'll happen is a civil lawsuit. And the most that'll
>happen if you don't show up to court is that they get a default judgment and
>then can do a bank sweep and automatically take money out of your bank
>account(s) to satisfy the judgment - all perfectly legal;

Ahh, not in South Carolina. The worst they can do is get a judgement
against you which can then only be attached as a lien to *real*
property owned within the state (and I believe Larry's trailer would
fall under *personal* property). Creditors cannot raid your bank
account nor garnish one's paycheck here.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

The Ghost of General Lee wrote:

> Ahh, not in South Carolina. The worst they can do is get a judgement
> against you which can then only be attached as a lien to *real*
> property owned within the state (and I believe Larry's trailer would
> fall under *personal* property). Creditors cannot raid your bank
> account nor garnish one's paycheck here.

Well, in most other states you can attach monetary accounts too. But your
statement just lends credence to what I said.



--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

ws2v Wrote:
> I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF for leaving
> early,
> because Verizon had screwed up my bill pretty bad.
>
> When I actually called to cancel the different rep said I would be
> charged
> and told me she couldn't find the person who told me this.
>
> Has this happened to others and what did you do?
This is only true only in extreme cases. Most of the time if Verizon
is at fault they fix the problem. And they will not let the Early
Termination Fee waved.

Larry W4CSC Wrote:
> Told them, "Come get me." and hung up.
>
> They know ***damned well they're not going to spend $50K prosecuting
> someone living in a trailer trying to get $200 out of them.....
>
> What bullThey can also can write the debt off and put some very bad information
on your credit report.

They can also deny you future service years from now due to not paying
bill and actions as well.


--
agentHibby
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cell Phone Forums: http://cellphoneforums.net
View this thread: http://cellphoneforums.net/t177024.html

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

agentHibby wrote:
> ws2v Wrote:
>> I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF for leaving
>> early,
>> because Verizon had screwed up my bill pretty bad.
>>
>> When I actually called to cancel the different rep said I would be
>> charged
>> and told me she couldn't find the person who told me this.
>>
>> Has this happened to others and what did you do?
> This is only true only in extreme cases. Most of the time if Verizon
> is at fault they fix the problem. And they will not let the Early
> Termination Fee waved.
>
> Larry W4CSC Wrote:
>> Told them, "Come get me." and hung up.
>>
>> They know ***damned well they're not going to spend $50K prosecuting
>> someone living in a trailer trying to get $200 out of them.....
>>
>> What bullThey can also can write the debt off and put some very bad
>> information on your credit report.
>
> They can also deny you future service years from now due to not paying
> bill and actions as well.

They also will not bother to try collecting the bill themselves, so
that's not a worry. They will, however, sell the bill to a local
collection agency and they will persist forever until paid.

Q

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote in
news7eag9$8ma$1@ratbert.glorb.com:

> Well, in most other states you can attach monetary accounts too. But
> your statement just lends credence to what I said.
>
>

And, the only thing they'll get out of it, in any state, is you won't be
coming back to Verizon.....a win situation...(c;

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Larry W4CSC wrote:
> Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote in
> news7eag9$8ma$1@ratbert.glorb.com:
>
>
>>Well, in most other states you can attach monetary accounts too. But
>>your statement just lends credence to what I said.
>>
>>
>
>
> And, the only thing they'll get out of it, in any state, is you won't be
> coming back to Verizon.....a win situation...(c;

And even in SC, if you let the judgment sit, you will have collections, a
write-off and an unsatisfied judgment on your record. The collections and
write-off will be on your credit for seven years; the judgment for 10.

Will make it difficult to buy things like houses, cars, other cell phones...

If you want to be ignorant, Larry, that's your decision, but how about not
advising people to do things that will cause trouble for them down the road?
I know it's asking a lot for you not to be a jerk, but try it once, you
might like it.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Nextel also tried to make me pay for early termination after I called
tech support and complained about lack of service in the mountainous
areas of East TN/West North Carolina. He looked at the map and agreed
it was too lousy for an MD to rely on and said I could terminate early
with no fee. Then others in the company said it wasn't up to him and
they could not find any record of it. But by then I had cancelled the
contract and sold my phones for next to nothing. It took many many
hours on the phone before it got escallated to an investigations
department. The higher it got, the nastier they became. In the end they
will not let you speak to anyone, just send faxes which they don't
respond to. Then I had a lawyer let me write a letter in his name and
faxed that 8 times. Finally they called and said "so sorry you had a
problem. No charge." So I joined Verizon. So far so good! I hope I
never run into that problem again.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

ws2v <ws2v@arrl.net> wrote:
: I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF for leaving early,
: because Verizon had screwed up my bill pretty bad.

: When I actually called to cancel the different rep said I would be charged
: and told me she couldn't find the person who told me this.

: Has this happened to others and what did you do?

Probably not much. Verizon CS reps have lied to me on the phone more
than once, so I don't trust them anymore. I don't really want to do
business anymore with a company I can't trust, despite great cell
phone service. I will be leaving Verizon as soon as my contract is up
in a few months.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

> ws2v <ws2v@arrl.net> wrote:
>> I was told by a rep that I would not be charged the ETF
>> for leaving early, because Verizon had screwed up my
>> bill pretty bad.
>
>> When I actually called to cancel the different rep said
>> I would be charged and told me she couldn't find the
>> person who told me this.
>
>> Has this happened to others and what did you do?

I'm sure it's happened to others. The thing to do is to
remember this for *all* your future dealings over the
phone for things that matter to you (not just VZW). If
you care about it then get a name, note the time and
day, and ask the person to note your account. If it's
important get it in writing. That's why important things
are generally put in writing. It's to avoid misinformation
and misinterpretation of what was said. Nobody here
heard the conversation. Maybe the rep said "I'll see
if I can get your ETF waived", maybe "They will surely
waive the ETF", maybe something else?

On the other hand you could join Dr. Wiremore's class
action suite. Maybe they will settle out of court to waive
your ETF.

-Quick

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Quick wrote:

> heard the conversation. Maybe the rep said "I'll see
> if I can get your ETF waived", maybe "They will surely
> waive the ETF", maybe something else?

Maybe the rep was badly trained or was a moron. Or maybe the rep was just
saying whatever s/he thought needed to be said to get the customer off the
phone. It happens (in my experience) much less with VZW than with other
carriers, but that doesn't mean it never happens.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Steve Sobol wrote:
> Quick wrote:
>
>> heard the conversation. Maybe the rep said "I'll see
>> if I can get your ETF waived", maybe "They will surely
>> waive the ETF", maybe something else?
>
> Maybe the rep was badly trained or was a moron. Or maybe
> the rep was just saying whatever s/he thought needed to
> be said to get the customer off the phone. It happens (in
> my experience) much less with VZW than with other
> carriers, but that doesn't mean it never happens.

I didn't say it doesn't happen.
I didn't say it wasn't true.
I didn't say it wasn't the OP's understanding of the
conversation.

I said nobody here heard the conversation.
I suppose that might not be correct if that CSR reads
this news group.

I was just pointing out that it's a good idea to take notes.
It's a good idea to try to make sure they take notes.
If it's important to you it's a good idea to get it in writing.

-Quick

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Quick wrote:

>>Maybe the rep was badly trained or was a moron. Or maybe
>>the rep was just saying whatever s/he thought needed to
>>be said to get the customer off the phone. It happens (in
>>my experience) much less with VZW than with other
>>carriers, but that doesn't mean it never happens.
>
> I didn't say it doesn't happen.
> I didn't say it wasn't true.

I know that... I'm not accusing you of anything. Chill.

> I didn't say it wasn't the OP's understanding of the
> conversation.

Well, the subject says "then lied." I can't be sure what happened either.

> I was just pointing out that it's a good idea to take notes.

I think the OP shouldn't have even assumed the ETF would be waived. I might
have been able to fight my ETF being waived if I wanted to; I switched to a
new carrier a month or so before my end-of-contract with Verizon. I might
have been able to get it waived. On the other hand, Verizon would probably
point out (correctly) that I had service in many places. I'd counter that
there are a couple places that worked for me before that suddenly didn't,
and that it was a royal pain in the ass to get the company to start fixing
the broken cell sites (they finally admitted that the problem was not my
phone)... but whether that would have held up in court is questionable. So I
dropped my plan to the $15/month emergency plan, as I've said upthread. Was
a lot cheaper than paying $175 to terminate early, and involved much less
hassle... although VZW tried to turn around and tell me that the price
change to $15/month would take an extra 30 days (!)

> It's a good idea to try to make sure they take notes.
> If it's important to you it's a good idea to get it in writing.

Well, that's always true. I'm suggesting another approach might have been
better.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / sjsobol@JustThe.net / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"The wisdom of a fool won't set you free"
--New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Steve Sobol wrote:
> Quick wrote:
>
>>> Maybe the rep was badly trained or was a moron. Or maybe
>>> the rep was just saying whatever s/he thought needed to
>>> be said to get the customer off the phone. It happens
>>> (in my experience) much less with VZW than with other
>>> carriers, but that doesn't mean it never happens.
>>
>> I didn't say it doesn't happen.
>> I didn't say it wasn't true.
>
> I know that... I'm not accusing you of anything. Chill.

Yea, I know... You opened up the door for a few hundred
tangential, anecdotal, stories of "well this is what happened
to my brother's girlfriend's cousin who lives in Omaha".
Which doesn't have anything really to do with it. Just hoping...
and I'm NOT UPSET (I'm just hurt that Isaiah thinks I'm
humorless).

-Quick

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Can't do it in Pennsylvania either.


"The Ghost of General Lee" <ghost@general.lee> wrote in message
news:mm8l91te94ucmdl19dpahnfa4kqmpdncoc@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 May 2005 20:35:24 -0700, Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net>
> wrote:
>
>>The most that'll happen is a civil lawsuit. And the most that'll
>>happen if you don't show up to court is that they get a default judgment
>>and
>>then can do a bank sweep and automatically take money out of your bank
>>account(s) to satisfy the judgment - all perfectly legal;
>
> Ahh, not in South Carolina. The worst they can do is get a judgement
> against you which can then only be attached as a lien to *real*
> property owned within the state (and I believe Larry's trailer would
> fall under *personal* property). Creditors cannot raid your bank
> account nor garnish one's paycheck here.
>