Dear Verizon, you suck

Here is the email sent to corporate Verizon headquarters this evening.  All started because I was curious if we were eligible for the 20% fed employee discount Verizon offers it's customers.  Silly me thinking I pay 150 a month to them now since they about out Alltel that we were customers of them.   Customer service is HUGE to me with having a marketing background I see Verizon setting themselves up for a FAIL of epic proportions.  Yes, I am but one person, but it takes a single snowflake to start an avalanche.

I was told we are "not really customers of Verizon, they just bought us along with the company."  Me, being the smart ass I am business savvy person I am said, "So, I really don't have to pay the 150 a month to you then?"  Yeah, this didn't go over so well with first dude on the phone.  He basically told me to go to the website and let it deal with me.  Strike one for lack of customer service via the phone.

I thought maybe the old Alltel store/new Verizon store can help me out.  Clarify, maybe even answer my questions.  After approx 20 minutes of waiting, I was brought to the cattle line-up they call the assistance line.  It is really shoulder to shoulder people on one side Verizon staff on the other.  Where I was asked 3 times for my phone number.  She couldn't hear me.  Hmm, I am usually told I am too loud.  I bet this guy who was a set of shoulders away was more then happy to get my digits.

I asked her a simple question.  What am I as a former Alltel customer to Verizon?  Her response, yeppers I ended up with a chick to not help me was we don't really count.  I beg for flipping pardon? She suggested all helpful like to cancel our current plan 3.5 months into it and just re-up with Verizon.  Simple solution.  In the real world where the rest of us reside that means:  Cancel 2 lines-$500, get rid of BB phones we just bought $300.  New phones $200 each, approx phone activation $40 each, and plan before tax a month $140 (so like 175 a month).   So the Simple solution to Verizon is to spend about $1000 to become a true customer to Verizon.  But wait, didn't Verizon buy Alltel?  Yep, so we should already be customers.  We should be true customers already.  See the "seamless conversion" load of crap they fed us during the hostile takeover.  I was so appalled by her explanation I turned away and walked out.  I am pretty damn sure her and the whole store heard me loud and clear when I said they are making it really tempting to go across the street and go to Veiaro who is a local wireless store that buys out the other places contracts.

I was livid walking out of the Verizon store.  Yes, I was public about it.  And no, I am not sorry about it.  I called the weatherman he told me to call them back and lay into them.  I deserved it.  Damn, I knew I married him for some reason.  My guess he didn't want to deal with me tonight when he got home without me exploding at someone else.

But whatever.

So I call Verizon again, the lady was somewhat nice but still no help at all.  Insulting me further by telling me I as a consumer should have researched further before re-upping with Alltel before the buy out.  I was about as close to losing it as I had been all night at that point.  I then proceeded to enlighten her I write research papers, as well as do marketing research as a hobby. Yeah, whoopsie you, lady!   This convrosation was going nowhere but circles, so I ended it shortly afterwards.  Waiting for the followup survey that never occured.The I decided to take matters to corporate and penned this darling letter.  You will note there are no full out cuss words in it, impressive I know...

I would like someone from corporate to contact me via the telephone and explain why the "seamless" 
conversion is anything but for many of us.  You flat out lied about during the take over of Alltel.  We are treated anything but equals.


I wanted to believe you had changed in 5 years, I was excited about it even.  What have I gotten in the last month?  Worse coverage, more network errors, and told I an basically the red headed step child of your company.

You bought out MY company, you own the phones/contracts along with the revenue from the customers.   I am told we don't get the benefits you offer because we don't have your contract/phones.  Silly me but buying out a company and saying the takeover will be seamless/ be welcomed with open arms pertains to what exactly?

According to your Customer-no service reps and those "trained" in the old Alltel store it doesn't mean your phones, your coverage, and not your discounts.  You have essentially promised the Alltel customers the moon and gave us nothing but your name on the bill.  I was getting crappy enough service with Alltel thank you very much.  There is no need to take it to another level and tell me I have to pay you all for the next 18 months and get crap in return.  At least with them after a while I got some help.  And if you think I am alone in this gripe, check the world wide Web you are surpassing AT&T in gripes.  Not good.  My advise, you bought us, you treat us as equal.

Don't tell me to cancel, pay the fee to you, and re-up with you and pay all over again.  Really do you think we are all that thick?  It may work for some, but others know other companies will be happy to buy out our contracts and they are looking pretty good right now to many of us.

I have now been with your company since '02.  We with you before Alltel.  So are you really going to treat a customer of almost 8 years this poorly?  Step up use integrity with those you bought.

~Krimsin King
$
P.S. I was serious about the phone call.

So the ball is in Verizon's court now. I'm not letting this go.  How will they deal with someone who is writing by herself, but speaking for so many of their customers?  I guess we shall see.  I urge all former Alltel people, now with Verizon to Call, write and yell at the top of your lungs to Verizon to address us to our face and treat us as equal customers, not just as a form of your revenue.  And if I want to be treated like crap from someone I won't pay for it, I'll just call the family.  So Verizion if you keep treating us old Alltel people like second rate members of the company you should change you slogan from:

To this: