Tuesday, September 12, 2006

I hate Verizon Wireless

I haven't blogged for a while. That's because I've been spending all my spare time on the phone with Verizon Wireless.

As a customer, I'm being told by business publications that I'm in charge. What horse hockey. Take my Palm Treo 650 from Verizon Wireless. On Sept. 9 I fell victim to a common problem among owners. The thing froze up and died. Sept. 17 and I'm still without a working replacement. The latest insult is that after being sent by VZW to a store to buy a replacement battery on the bet, best guess, or hope that a new one would fix the problem, the store clerk informed me they didn't actually sell them in stores. So I ordered one. After checking today on why it did not arrive, I was told there was no record of the order.

This is after realizing I cannot just go into a store and return the prematurely dead device for a replacement...

after realizing that I have to pay for VZW to ship me a device to replace the dead one...

after realizing it is not a new device, but a reconstituted one...

after realizing that VZW won't give me a loaner while I wait for someone in customer service to turn the lights on and get me a working phone...

after having to ASK for a rebate on the data services fee for the days I am without any data service...

after getting the feeling the customer rep at my local store didn't give a rat's you know what from my predicament, judging from his tone, look and general lack of engagement...

after noticing that my 2-year contract is feeling really onerous right now.

I feel like a chump for being a VZW customer.

But I guess so do these and these and these .

Here is what VZW should do to make its customer LOVE being so:
sell products that don't die

immediately replace ones that do with new ones if within the warranty (what use is a warranty otherwise?)

supply loaners if a customer is going to have to wait for a replacement

do not charge for shipping, boneheads

address billing adjustments where appropriate, as in my case, proactively

throw in a sweetner to account for the customer hassle, like extra minutes, to show appreciation and understanding and CARING

check up with customer on the day the new device or battery or whatever is supposed to show up, and not wait for them to call to let you know it has not

And that's just for starters.

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