Finally my long battle with Verizon is over. The supervisor of the Customer Relation Dept. called me and apologized for such a pain I have had endured for the last 13 months.

This incident happened at the end of 2004. My DSL was suddenly screwed up after my roommate decided to have his own home phone. They sent the technician to install the line; then it messed up my line. From October to December that year, they sent all different technicians to my apartment to fix it. But none of them was able to. I was so frustrated that I could not use the DSL for the whole time and I had to migrate my internet service to the dial-up mode with AOL (that was even worse if anyone used to deal with the AOL, you will know what I mean).

My patience hit the roof. I dumped the Verizon. Then I moved my business to the Time Warner Cable.

A month later, the bill from the Verizon showed up in my mailbox. I called them right away and asked what that bill was about. They shamelessly charged me for the last month of the service. I numbed the customer service operator’s ear with my non-stop complaining. I told them they should give me the free services for the whole year instead of charging me if I was still the Verizon’s customer. They agreed to take it out and gave me the confirmation number.

I thought the drama was over. Two months later, I received the letter from the colleting debt company that accusing me of not paying Verizon. In the letter, they threatened the lawsuit against me. I called that collecting company; they asked me to deal with the Verizon. With my unstoppable flame inside me, I ringed Verizon again. They transferred my call back and forth like a football on the field. I talked to the customer service dept. to the accounting dept. then I had to talk to the Verizon home phone company and the DSL one that was totally different entity. No one could find that confirmation number. GREAT!!! I told them if that was the way of this company doing the business. When they wanted to charge me, they could find all the information to collect my money but when I needed my money back, they said they could not find it.

However, after I talked to their supervisor, he agreed to follow the issue. He gave me his number, name and everything. I saved it.

Again, I thought this is totally over.

A month later, another letter was sitting in my mailbox. This time it was from a different collecting debt company. I called again and asked for that supervisor who gave me the name and number. He did not exist. So this time the conversation was not pretty.

The first customer service barbed on me with her hip-hop accent that it was the charge of the service cancellation. I told her it was not in the contract I signed. Plus with all those stupid problems that were not my faults, even it was in the contract, I should be able to cancel. Then I asked her to use her empty head to think that what’s in the world the charge of cancellation was 105.49 dollars. Why wasn’t it a round number? I never knew that the government taxed the cancellation fee. Moreover, according to the bill I was holding in my hand, it clearly stated that it was the last month service fee plus whatever tax they charged. She raised her voice at me. Of course, I yelled at her like no tomorrow. Then I told her to keep her attitude at home, if she hated her job of servicing other people so much; she should stay home and collect the unemployment benefit from the government. I told her I knew right now our conversation was recording and I wanted to let anyone who would be listening to this conversation to know that this woman was rude and inefficient in helping the customers. So she backed down and talked to me better. Then the game of kicking my call around started. I spent hours on the phone and talked to everyone. But none of them was fruitful.

105.49 dollars was not much but I swore to my grave I would never pay a penny to this company.

I sent my complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Affair of the New York City. I wrote the long letter, copied all documents I had and mailed to them.

Within two weeks, the Better Business Bureau sent me the email and said the complaint was filed and sent to the Verizon.

A week later, a supervisor of the Customer Relation Department called me and said my account was credited and from now on no collecting debt company would ever bother me again.

I said thank you and hung up with a big scream like a football player who made a touchdown.

I am not sure how many people give in to this kind of business practice but for me, if it is not my fault, I will fight with my nail and teeth.

If you have any problems with these greedy companies go to this website http://complaint.bbb.org/ They are very helpful and the outcome is quick.

Tae Athikomvittaya