Verizon forces services onto customers
February 2nd, 2010Here is a delightful chat I just had with Verizon customer ’support’. I wanted to drop down to the bare minimum in voice since I rarely talk on the phone, keep my unlimited texting and drop the data package they had originally forced on me when I got my phone (I wanted the QWERTY keyboard). Seems like a simple enough request, right? Oh, how wrong we are:
Please wait for a Verizon Wireless sales representative to assist you with your order. Thank you for your patience!
A Verizon Wireless online pre-sales specialist has joined the chat. You are now chatting with Cassandra
Cassandra: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service. May I help you with your order today?
Cassandra: I haven’t heard from you in a while. Would you like to continue chatting?
You: yes
You: I’m not at all happy with having a $9.99 forced onto my account. Please explain why something I do not want is being forced on me?
Cassandra: It is not being forced it is required for all 3G phones.
You: thus forced
You: I do no want to use this feature
You: I want only to txt
Cassandra: Did you just opt to change the plan?
You: yes
You: and it forced the $9.99 fee
Cassandra: No, you could have kept the plan as it was where you were not ” forced” but you opted to continue, correct?
You: no
You: it popped up
You: with only an “ok” – no option to decline was offered
You: and it won’t let me “deselect” the data package
You: hold on – the screen just refreshed with a remove option
You: Add Features Data Package Unlimited with Mobile Email $29.99/month This is a minimum required feature for your device. Remove Features Data Package 25MB with Mobile Email $9.99/month Total change in monthly recurring charges: $20.00/month
You: and then I try to remove it and get forced to either keep the $9.99 or be shoved into a $29.99 feature
You: this is very not cool
You: I have no desire to check email on this phone – ever. I wanted it for the keypad for my amount of txting. Period.
Cassandra: But with the plan you already had you do not have to have the data plan, correct?
You: ….
You: yes I was forced into it with the plan I had
You: and I went ahead and used it. But I’m trying to get down to the minimum possible with unlimited texting ONLY
You: it’s all I care about
You: I hardly use my phone for anything but texting
Cassandra: I am sorry about that.
You: how do I get this removed
You: I do not want this “feature”
Cassandra: You can not it is required. You will have to select a basic phone that does not require it.
You: I see. So because I bought a phone that does what I need it to do
You: you force me into a service i do not want
Cassandra: Not forced.
You: yes dear
You: it is forced
You: you just told me I have to have this service
You: period
You: because I need a phone with a keyboar
You: keyboard
You: you are forcing me to take a service I do not want
Cassandra: We have the Motorola Rival and Samsung intensity that do not require a data plan.
You: please point me to where on the phone features it points out that the data package is required
You: yes
You: for which you will force me to pay $200+ to change
Cassandra: On the phones page when you select the phone it is listed under that. [this was not on the page when I purchased the phone a while back]
You: to drop a feature I do not want
Cassandra: You can not. Sorry.
You: which
You: really
You: means
You: I’d be just as well served
You: to pay the termination fee
Cassandra: Okay.
You: since it’s actually less than the phone you require me to get
You: so
You: y’all really would rather lose a customer than drop a feature that customer does not want to utilize. This is blindingly spectacular business sense
You: how does this make sense?
Cassandra: We have not really lost business since the change has place. [notice this nice little insertion?]
You: thank you for this enlightening conversation. Please be advised that the entire conversation will be posted to my blog for public ellucidation.
You: Thank you
Well, I can unequivocally say they lost a customer today. It’s either keep paying the $10/mo fee that I don’t want to pay – or pay the FULL price (even though they are forcing me to change phones) for a new phone that I do not want. The default on the contract is less than the cost of one of those phones and only a couple bucks more than the cost of the other. That makes a ton of sense.
Instead, it appears I will be switching to MetroPCS or Cricket or something. Those who were texting me on my cell phone, be aware that the number will soon no longer be valid as I transition.




