Verizon FiOS: Issues, Problems and Trouble
October 27th, 2008 | by Ian Bell
When Verizon first announced their FiOS service, I was naturally convinced that it would be the next evolutionary step in Internet and home connectivity. Being the early adopter that I am, I quickly signed up for the service, expecting faster speeds and an enhanced viewing experience. Just one problem: I’ve regretted it ever since.
Let me get this out of the way up-front: The FiOS service itself is amazing. High-speed transfers deliver as advertised, there are plenty of HD channels to choose from with amazing clarity, video-on-demand service works with an ever-increasing catalog of movies and more and more shows are becoming readily available. Granted, the DVR could use more storage and the menu system sometimes slows to a crawl, but I would take it any day over the box Comcast uses, which actually includes advertisements integrated into the channel guide. What’s more, Verizon’s phone service is nothing special, but let’s be honest – on paper, it sounds like a great deal to enjoy all three features combined.
But I was fooled, flummoxed, swindled… made a freaking patsy, even. Since the service has been installed in my home, I’ve had nothing but trouble. The below are just a few problems I have had with Verizon.
Billing
From day one, our bill has never been correct. We ordered the phone, Internet and TV service in a triple bundle that is supposed to cost around $156/mo including taxes and all the little BS line-items they tack on. Suffice it to say that they successfully bundled the TV and phone services, but not my Internet service which, for some inexplicable reason, is now being billed separately.
So, in effect, my statements are more like $220/mo, and that’s without HBO or any other premium channels. I have called twice a month for the last six months trying to get this fixed. Sadly, while my service was installed in November 2007, not once to this day has billing ever been correct. For the last two months, I have been told that the service was fixed and re-bundled, but that the ticket has not gone into effect – so just continue to pay that $220/mo and they will reimburse me the difference when they get around to it. (Remember, it’s been two months since it was ‘supposedly’ fixed.)
My main gripe here, besides the obvious financial aggravation? That the customer service reps are clueless; they apparently are placed in a service center somewhere in Antarctica because they have no idea what anyone else at Verizon is actually doing. Their hours of operation are also somewhere between 8-6 CST Monday thru Friday. The average call time (I have been keeping track) is about 30-45 minutes, and it’s near-impossible to get to an actual person. I feel stuck in the perpetual phone loop of despair.
As of this writing, I am getting disconnect notices saying that if I don’t pay the $220, our service will be terminated (I have been paying the $156/mo they told me on the phone). As I mentioned, customer service said to pay $220 and they will reimburse me later. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have an extra $60/mo lying around. And why should I trust that Verizon will pay me back? Here’s a novel though: Why not just remove the charge from the bill entirely?
TV Service
I loved my TV service with Verizon up until two weeks ago. My DVR has been recording my shows like it’s supposed to (although I have heard from readers that some DVRs are going rogue, and recording random shows), the HD quality is good, menus are easy to navigate (although slow at times) and the service works in general. Yesterday however, I noticed that a couple of new HD channels popped up in the program guide. When I went to watch them, they said I wasn’t subscribed. You see, Verizon added a ton of new HD channels, and then grouped them under a new “Extreme HD” package which costs another $10/mo to view. But wait a minute, wasn’t HD part of the original marketing campaign? I don’t know about you, but I was under the impression that Verizon was going to give me every channel in HD from the get-go, not start adding on extra packages that cost more each time there is a channel line-up change. Again, some very deceptive marketing going on here…
Internet Service
I am relatively happy with my Internet service. However, there a couple annoyances here worth mentioning. The Verizon WiFi router sucks, plain and simple. I get better reception wrapping my old Netgear router in electronically charged copper wire than I do placing my Verizon Router on a 10-foot tall bookshelf in the middle of my house. Do yourself a favor and invest in a separate WiFi router or Ethernet powerline adapter kit.
In addition, when I signed up for Internet service, I got the 15Mbps/2 Mbps service for $52.99. Now they offer 20 Mbps/5 Mbps service for the same price. Verizon was supposed to switch me to the faster service, but it has yet to happen – so I am paying more for less. Wonderful.
Misc.
My story’s not an isolated case either. Consider…
My coworker was charged for a DVR that he returned to Verizon. They claimed they never got it despite getting a tracking number and confirmation from UPS that it was delivered. After a month of calling, they finally removed the charge.
My father complained that when Verizon added the new HD channels, he was forced to manually reset his box in order for it to work properly and allow him to view the new channels. I wonder how many other people out there are not able to view all of the channels they are currently paying for?
Another friend of mine just ordered the service, but they never gave him an order number. When he called back, they had no recollection of him even placing the order, so he had to do it all over again.
Bottom Line
Listen, every service like this will have its fair share of growing pains. I ran into small issues with Dish Network and Comcast with hardware malfunctioning, being billed incorrectly, etc. But I never had problems with their customer service. You could call Dish or Comcast at 2AM on a Sunday and get through to someone in most instances. Verizon’s customer service, however, is the worst I have experienced EVER. Their people are generally clueless, and it’s very clear that the right hand doesn’t talk to the left. I do not know anyone that has enjoyed a worry-free experience with the company.
Comcast will have their new Internet and TV service coming out soon, and I might just switch back. But at the very least, I am going to wait this time until all the kinks are worked out. There will always be something technologically better tempting you with the promise of a quick upgrade. But the ability to download 10,000 B.C. on-demand in hi-def or enjoy speedier access to PerezHilton.com doesn’t matter if these features don’t work correctly or if you get charged twice what you are supposed to pay.
If you are considering upgrading to Verizon’s FiOS service, I would recommend holding off. It’s like the Apple commercial where the Apple PC tries to convince the Windows PC (representing Microsoft) to stop dumping money into their Vista operating system’s marketing efforts, and use it to fix the operating system instead. Verizon needs to fix their customer service, ordering process and get everyone on the same page.
Maybe your experience has been better, maybe worse. In either case I would love to hear about it. Assuming, that is, you write back M-F, between the hours of 1:30-1:35P PST, don’t mind holding for 3 hours and that I’ll be charging you double for it.
Post Your Comment...Comments
Jaime on Oct 27th, 2008 at 4:41 PM:
OMG glad to see someone post their own horror story, I thought I was the only one having Verizon problems. I ordered an HD DVR and they didn't have any, so I got an SD box as a loaner, they are still charging me for the HD DVR even though I have not had it for months!
Bernie on Oct 27th, 2008 at 6:48 PM:
My experience mirrors Jason Howard's - wish I would have read this post first. I'm right in the middle of this problem - number didn't get ported after an online order for triple play FiOS. And now my original number is lost in space. How did you finally get it resolved - email me at bbsgllc@gmail.com if you wouldn't mind.
What bothers me the most is Verizon's ineptness in dealing with the problem. They have no concept of taking ownership of a problem and resolving it. They create the problem and then expect their customers to solve it. Why do we put up with it? If I hear "there's nothing I can do about the problem, please call 800-xxx-xxxx when they open tomorrow," I may actually cry - right there on the phone.
They have no concept of what customer service actually is. They should be called customer aggravation reps. But yet we sucker consumers keep buying the stuff. Enough!
bob on Oct 28th, 2008 at 8:36 AM:
I also have an issue with the inconvenience of dealing with Verizon customer service. BUT I have not had any problems with billing, service etc. I was disappointed that the HD channel growth was not as fast as promised and that the 53 new HD channels were part of a new package but it was cheaper than my original package, and they increased my Internet from 15M to 20M.
I had to call customer service twice and both times it was smooth and pleasant experience.
Now that we have virtually every HD channel available and at a good price I'm a HUGE FIOS FAN.
Thanks Verizon.
Sean on Oct 28th, 2008 at 9:07 AM:
Well, I got FiOS over here in MA, and everything has been great. We had one issue where the HD DVR HDMI connection was busted, I called them, they got a tech to my house the next day (that being Saturday) and I got a new box. The tech also found that 2 boxes were sent back were not removed from our account. He removed them, got on the phone with the billing, and we got credited for those boxes.
We also signed up for the 15MB service, and were automatically upgraded to the 20MB. Check you speed on a bandwidth site, if it even creeps over 15 then your getting 20.
The only things I agree with here is the Off hours support (it is negligible) and the router they give you. Course for the router, I try to never use the provided router, unless I absolutely have to. which I do now, as it is a combination router to provide IPs to the Set Top Boxes. Just grab a better antenna, 40 dollars.
Sue on Oct 28th, 2008 at 9:36 AM:
Just got off an hour of fixing a similar issue as some of the others on the list, except we did get our original landline number moved over to FIOS at the time of installation in August. However, there still is bad original account with a reassigned number that was supposed to be cancelled from get-go when we ordered FIOS triple-play at the Verizon store (which also used the same (apparently broken) order form). When we got home with our order and noticed the number was getting reassigned, my husband went right back to the store straighten out the order so that we could have our currrent number. So, supposedly, the original FIOS order for the reassigned landline number was cancelled before the installer came out. When the call from Verizon the night before the installer came out to confirm the installation time, I inquired about the bad order, and they said it was cancelled... but(you guessed it) the installer the next day told me he had on his order that we had a 2nd phone line being installed (the one that was supposed to be cancelled). I straightened it out with the installer, but he also said "I (!) would need to call Verizon after a few days to get this cancelled so we would not be billed for the bad order." To which I said "They said it was CANCELLED and why do I need to do this again?" But we did what he said and again they said they cancelled it. Of course, a few weeks later a bill arrived for this "cancelled" number, we ignored it and got another bill, so at that point I called back today. The first time I was disconnected after 15 minutes to get to the person telling me I needed to be transfered to the "Cancellation area" then another 10 minutes on hold that area. When I finally got back on I asked nicely through gritted teeth, if "they could please not disconnect me from the cancellation area when I was put on hold there." Finally, I did get a pleasant person in "Cancellations" who said they have now cancelled the bad account. Now I have *another* cancellation number sitting in front of me. In a few weeks I will write back and let you know if we finally have this taken care of our not. If you google "Verizon billing problem" you get a rash of the same complaints, so the odds are against a happy ending to anyone's Verizon billing story. As a final note, I work in system integration for a major hospital system, so I do realize that putting together all these separate business entities of the Verizon name into one billing umbrella is complex. At the same time, Verizon, Inc (or whateveer this fuzzy billing blob calls itself) definitely has more $$$ and resources to fix the issues - or maybe they choose to pay off someone instead, Lord only knows. But in my nutty world of integration - the meager $$$ and resources in the non-profit hospital world - we are forced to fix our billing issues PRONTO or face massive fines from the Feds or worse. I can't help that my suspicions these days is that all those Verizon "update" and "cancellation" transactions, are really going to the "big ol' bit bucket in the sky".
Daniel on Oct 28th, 2008 at 11:20 AM:
Bob, you are a schill. Obviously you work for Verizon.
J Downs on Oct 28th, 2008 at 5:36 PM:
Hilarius and well-written report. My Verizon DSL has the same customer service issues. How this company makes any money (and apparently they make a lot from the most recent earnings report) escapes me. Worst. Customer. Service. Ever.
Jason Howard on Oct 28th, 2008 at 10:23 PM:
Anyone else also experience issues with the phone tree? First time i tried to call in I kept getting disconnected. If I chose to have the auto call back, it would call and hang up on me immediately. I spent about 4 hours trying to get through to someone.
Bob: you may not think having tech support/customer service available 24/7 is fine, but if you compare to DishNetwork, Comcast, or any of their competitors they have tech support/customer service 24/7. When I had DishNetwork, I don't think I ever waited more than 2 minutes to connected to a human (from initial dialing the customer support number to talking to someone.)
I was extremely happy with DishNetwork just from that fact alone, and they were all extremely pleasant people. I would have stayed with them if FIOS Internet didn't sway me away.
Stephen G on Nov 5th, 2008 at 12:43 AM:
okay- so I came across this article looking (actively) to see if there is anything out there discussing any Class Action lawsuit against Verizon regarding deceptive billing practices.
I have a horror story with Verizon Fios (and have discovered that mine is NOT an isolated case).
I ordered service moving into my new apartment. I asked for ONLY TV and INTERNET since I have a VZW cellphone. Cut back on costs. When they installed service, they immediately took out a sum of $285 from my checking- and claimed that each cost was ala carte. That means I paid more that the $99 bundle because I wanted seperate services which ran me $300- I was charded $150 for the router.
When I called to cancel service, the rep decided to credit me the difference, mentioned that she would give me 3 months of movies for free, and would issue a check for the router. I waited and waited. I was duped. I called back to discover that they DO NOT issue a refund check and only credit to your forthcoming services. THAT WAS FINE if it just would have rested there. The next month my bill was over $600!!
WHAT!? Well, it seems a few things- the credit WAS issued as a refund check, however I was CHARGED for a check of my own money added to the bill. Second of all, aparently in order to get 3 months of service for free- the rep actually has to go into the account and credit each month one at a time. This means they have to remember WHO they made the promise to and proactively credit in each month!
so after numerous call-in's to correct the system, I just cancelled. To add insult to injury (I've taken extensive notes on each call/ rep I spoke with/ action taken to correct ineptness) after I disconnected and replaced service with a local competitor- I was getting billed for two more months AFTER the system was completely removed from my apartment! Yes, we can thank advanced billing for THAT. So I am currently battliing a bill of over $700. They mentioned that even though I did NOT have service for those months, they have NO way of telling if I wasn't using their system (after calling in to disconnect) from the billing side.
WTF?
Gary Rich on Nov 5th, 2008 at 6:18 PM:
Glad to find this information. I bought the Fios package of TV, Internet and phone.....I have never been billed at the package price of $114.99 plus receiver rental...........some have been as high as $392.........I have spent an average of 45 minutes each month trying to fix the bills and get them to show it as a bundle-like they sold me. I also feel misled about the video on demand....Two major networks are not participating "yet" and most of the show available are only snippets of the shows......its Total BS.....don't buy FIOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!it sucks, Verizon sucks. They are incompetant liars...........thank you
Jeffrey on Nov 9th, 2008 at 8:10 PM:
I just upgraded from high speed internet to Fios internet. The installation was completed Monday evening. It is a very noticeable speed increase. Now, 10,000 kbps/2,000 kbps from the DSL 3,000 kbps
Only, $10/mo. more.
After reading this I went to the "View My Bill" feature online, and it's ok. It shows $9.99 new charges.
I think I got a great deal, but before adding TV, I might look again for recent reviews.
Jason Howard on Nov 10th, 2008 at 10:41 PM:
Oh boy, more fun...
So I finally called about why all of a sudden HD channels I previously was able to watch were no longer available. I would get a message saying I wasn't subscribed to them and that I had to all the main number.
It was at 9pm PST when I made my first call. I just transferred through the phone tree to tech support, and got a hold of a real human in probably about 3 minutes (that alone was amazing for Verizon.)
After explaining the issue, the tech new what the problem was. He confirmed I had the "premiere" package. However, in the last month they rolled out a new "Extreme" package, and moved a bunch of the HD channels from the Premiere package to the Extreme package. He said it was a mess up on Verizon's part to move them away, and that I should be grandfathered into the Extreme package. However, he couldn't help me get migrated to this new package. He gave me the number to my local billing department, then transferred me.
I was connected to the billing department, and the person there started helping me. I had to provide not only my phone number and billing address, but also my account number and last payment amount. Fine. I'm ok with extra security. However, after looking up my account information, he hung up. :( I waited 10 minutes for him to call me back (he had taken both my home phone and my cell numbers.) With no call back, I called the number I was given by tech support. However, the number was disconnected! Arg!!
I called tech support again, and this time they gave me a new number. I called it, and talked to a women who proceeded to tell me their network had closed for the night, over an hour ago. I explained to her I just talked to someone who was helping me. She told me there was no way since all the systems were closed for the night. she didn't know of any other numbers for me to call. I was getting pretty pissed. This company is completely disconnected!
So, I called back tech support and got a nice guy named Julian who tried to help me as much as he can. He did his due diligence and then informed he couldn't help me, i needed to talk to billing. He gave me a new number this time and explained to me that it was the after hours billing (open 6pm to 8am) and that they would be able to help, that their computers are not down. He told me the number I called previously was the normal billing number for 8am - 6pm.
So, I called this new number. KiKi took my information, state I lived in, phone number, address, then informed me that her computer was updating and that I'd have to call back in the morning.
So, I have an hour gone by again, and no freakin results except lots of aggravation, 4 phone numbers, and 6 new people I've unfortunately had to talk to at Verizon.
And what type of company takes its premium package, creates a new one, and screws their old premium users?!
Way to go. (thumbs up)
ECA on Nov 11th, 2008 at 12:18 AM:
Jason Howard on Nov 12th, 2008 at 2:56 PM:
More to my story.
Turns out the billing/upgrade agent I spoke to actually gave me a new Triple Play bundle that include the Xtreme HD package for free. However, in the process he lowered my Internet speed from 20/20 to 20/5. After spending another 30 or so minutes on the phone with tech support AND billing, the answer I got was:
A) I can keep the new triple play and the free Xtreme upgrade, but they can not upgrade my Internet speed back to 20/20. They can't add it on to the bundle, or upgrade it.
B) I can revert back to my old bundle so I can get my 20/20 Internet speed, but pay $10/mo to be upgraded to the Xtreme HD package. They would not "grandfather" me into the Xtreme package like they had promised unless I took the new bundle.
What a bunch of crap. 3 days gone by, about 3 hours of wasted time. And to kick it all off, I have to call back tomorrow since the order went through today and isn't updated to show it being completed, so they can't make changes to my account anyways. Grr.
Verizon, as soon as Comcast comes out with their faster speeds, I'm gone. You treat your customers like crap. Your incompetent.
Seth on Nov 14th, 2008 at 8:54 PM:
Well my story goes as follows :
Rep came to my door. I'd just learned that FIOS was ready for my neighborhood, but was waiting to jump on since I'd been running a home
business and changing services took a lot of work....
Rep promised me a 200.00 rebate if I signed up that day. It was for the Friends and Family promotion and I would be treated as though I'd referred
two friends. He also promised me a completely free installation.
Wrote out a contract which I signed. Wrote 200.00 referral on the contract.
Tech came and installed TV and Internet.
1 1/2 months later I get my first bill. 680.00. I was charged for every part of the installation. I was also charged for 2 routers. No 200.00 referral
credit.
So I call and here begins the same song and dance everyone else seems to be experiencing.
I was instantly credited for 1 of the routers. I was told I was being credited for everything.
I was told to pay for only the portion of what I actually owed.
The next month I get my bill. 540.00. There is a 7.00 late fee. The credit for the 1 router shows. No other credits show. No 200.00 referral credit.
I call again. I am credited a portion of the install fee and told that my router credit is pending. Again I am told to only pay the portion of what I owe.
3rd month. Late Fee. No Referral Credit. No credit for router. Call about the router. Told again it is pending and will be put through the following
month. Told to call my local management team about the referral credit.
My area manger calls me. I explain the situation about the referral credit. He tells me he will call his supervisor. I am asked to fax my original invoice
with the 200.00 credit mark.
1 week later I receive a voice mail telling me that I will be getting that 200.00 credit.
4th Month. No Referral Credit. Late Fee. No router credit. Talk to the supervisor. Tells me there is nothing he can do and that we have to wait for a
response from another supervisor. Again I pay only what I owe. I ask what about the phone call telling me that I would receive my credit. Apologizes
and said he didn't know either.
5th Month. Rinse and Repeat. Different story about waiting for a different team.
6th Month. Rinse and Repeat.
7th Month. Here I am now. I call once a week to check on things. I talk to the same person. He tells me they are working on it. Everything is
pending. 343.00 is owed to me, or still being charged on my account.
With so many people having so many problems with billing through Verizon, why hasn't a Class Action Lawsuit started. It may be different stories or
circumstances, but they all appear to be the same problem. Same song and d
Mark on Nov 17th, 2008 at 10:10 AM:
I will never go back to cable again. But with Fios problems I have decided to stay with Directv and get as much HD as FIOS (Plus NFL Sunday Ticket to which I am a junkie). I am dropping Comcast HSI for FIOS Internet but just getting a regular modem since I have some specific internal network needs an integrated wireless modem will not be able to address. For one of the previous posters who tried to post a number from Comcast (comcrap I like to call them) porting is a royal pain. Both parties will blame one another. That is why I am a cell phone only customer. Landline/VOIP are dead to me. To each his own. I have been very impressed with some of the things that DIRECTV is doing with MRV and direct to PC capability. Plus I get my TIVO back next year...sometime.
Dave6053 on Nov 22nd, 2008 at 11:53 AM:
I have similar horror story of mine. I ordered the triple package (phone, Internet, TV service) online. The rate was $110 including HD-DVR. when I got my first bill after about 2 months they billed me $454. I immidiatly cancelled and went back to Comcast. But now Verizon is hounding me and has added $200 cancellation fees to the total whcih now is $654. they said I had only 30 days to cancel after service is installed. I feel very aggravated with their cistomer service and how can I cancel within 30 days if my first bill comes after 2 months.
kanzaki on Nov 28th, 2008 at 4:42 PM:
We have to call to get the bill fixed every one of the 14 months, we've had service. We've been charged for everything from phones to DSL and strange channel packages. It took me four months to get an HD box.
On a side note, we finally got the new firmware, 1.6.0, and the boxes and menus (even VOD) are liquid quick.
And then on the other hand, I can't see HD channels that I could before... searching for reasons why brought me to this page.
cwizper on Dec 1st, 2008 at 12:31 PM:
When I signed up for Verizon FIOS I thought the Triple Freedom would give me Internet, Phone, & TV concurrently. Apparently not here in Northern Virginia where whenever an incoming call comes in or I pick up to dial an outgoing call the Internet service drops. I guess they don't expect anyone to be able to multi-task on the phone and web at the same time. I've only been promised a technician here every day, including weekends, for the past five days with still no one showing up to try to fix this problem. Can't wait to get back to Comcast.
Bob Smith on Dec 2nd, 2008 at 1:57 PM:
Here's another Verizon horror story. We ordered the bundled package deal on 10/31 to be installed 11/17. Took the day off work, but no one shows up for the installation. Called Verizon and were informed that the order had been cancelled. Asked why, but she didn't know. She gave me a phone number to call and after waiting on hold for about 4-6 HOURS with various departments, I was basically told that there was nothing they could do and I would have to place the order again. Of course, the next installation date was not available for another 3 weeks. At this point I should have probably gotten a clue and just cancelled the whole thing. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options in my area for high speed internet. So, I took another day off work (their weekend instalations are booked months in advance) and finally had the service installed last Friday. The tech guy seemed to be pretty knowledgeable, but I could tell right off the bat that there were going to be issues. First off it took him 2 hours to figure out why he wasn't getting a signal from the street into the house. Once he completed the installation I was given a brief explanation of how everything worked, and off he went. Everything appeared to be working OK. But the next day such was not the case. None of the computers had a WiFI signal, the multi room DVR didn't work, and our email account hadn't been activated. After 2 hours on hold with various helpful, but useless/clueless reps nothing got resolved. The WiFi issue I fixed myself with the help of a tech friend (the installer had configured our PC's to a neighbor's signal). The email they could not figure out why I wasn't able to activate on line, so they finally activated it over the phone (1hr wait). The DVR issue is still pending. After 2 hours on the phone yesterday, thay told me that the problem was probably a bad box. So, a new box is shipped out to me yesterday and I received it today (quite surprised at that). Plug it in, activate it, and in the famous words of Gomer Pyle......surprise! surprise! it still doesn't work. Another phone call, another half hour on hold and this time we are told that we don't have the multi room function activated. We have to call billing to get that done (why didn't they know this yesterday?). So, after talking to a supervisor and telling him in no uncertain terms what I thought of their service, he assured me that they would turn on that service at no charge (such a deal considering that that was part of the original agreement). So far, still no multi room service. I shudder to think what my bill is going to be after reading some of these other posts.
Jeff Jacoby on Dec 9th, 2008 at 2:27 PM:
I have also had nothing but trouble with verizon fios. All my non-HD channels come in and out since the initial installation. Have put in several tech support calls.... so far... nothing. I was terminated because I was not paying until they got my channels working... I resigned and assured I would not have early termination and someone would be out to fix my problems. Well, none of that happened. After about 6 more calls... I just can't take it anymore. $600 bills for $99 service bundle and yet it has never worked properly. DO NOT GET FIOS unless you have plenty of time to sit on the phone trying to fix your bill and possibly not getting over half of the channels you should be getting and probably paying twice as much as you think you are going to pay...
John Reusche on Dec 10th, 2008 at 7:04 PM:
I have had FIOS for a year now. No issues with Internet or phone. As for FIOS tv, I have no HDTVs. I was impressed, however, with the great reception on every channel, until the last few months. It seems every channel is no longer great. Tonight I'm watching the Sixers play on ESPN, great picture. Switch to the Comcast channel to watch the same game and the picture is far from great. Another example, the CBS affiliate , channel 3 has a consistently bad picture. I called Verizon and they said the varying quality was due to the feed coming from wherever. Not a good answer. Yet I feel something has happened in the past few months. Anyone else experiencing this?
Rick B on Dec 16th, 2008 at 10:27 AM:
I was starting to think we were the only ones with Verizon horor stories. We've been battling billing and technical support issues with the Verizon freedom bundle since we signed up for it (11 months ago). I've had to call Verizon 2-3 times a month to correct billing issues (being over billed, not getting discounts, etc). The last straw was our recent migration to FIOS. The new FIOS service was setup/installed on 12/09. Our voicemail stopped working on 12/10 as they reset our voicemail password without telling us, then our FIOS phone service stopped working (no incoming/outgoing calls possible) on 12/13 due to an "order processing glitch" and it's still not on as of today (12/16) even after repeated calls and ticket escalations. The only good thing so far I can see with FIOS is that the download/upload speeds were as advertised and always constant, although I won't be a Verizon customer for much longer to see how it works out for the long term.
kirk on Dec 26th, 2008 at 11:24 AM:
I'm in the middle of the same thing right now, and its only been a week. Didnt switch over my phone number, service isnt working, techs dont show up. Reps dont have clue, tell you things just to get you off the phone. What can be done ? I'm dreading what the bill may look like , based on some of the stuff that I've been reading . Anyone trying to form a class action against them for fraud ?
Deladonde on Dec 27th, 2008 at 12:25 PM:
When I ordered FIOS, my neighbor told me the service is good, but the billing is terrible. He wasn't joking. I've had six bills, and not one has been right. Every time I call, I'm told I do not have a bundle package, which is causing my bill to be higher than promised by varying amounts, from $16 to $100. In every call, I have to explain that I signed up for the bundle, and get my bill adjusted (sometimes they tell me to send in the correct amount, other times they tell me they cannot adjust a bill, and I will receive a credit next month). To make matters worse, for my first three bills, the phone number on the bill was wrong (it was for cell phone billing problems), so I would be transfered to several different people, forcing me to be on the phone for an hour. Every month is the same: wrong billing amount, long call, promise to sign me up for the bundle, and it never goes through.
I even complained through the Better Business Bureau, and Verizon let the complain close as unresolved.
Also, keep in mind, there's no fee for installing the equipment, but there's a fee for activation.
Michelle on Jan 1st, 2009 at 12:46 PM:
We had FIOS installed in October 2008 and have experienced many of the same problems - deceptive sales people and incompetent, sometimes rude billing staff. My complaints were subsequently escallated to their "Resolution Department", but is still not resolved!
I am writing a letter of complaint to Verizon Communication, Inc.'s regional president, will file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and am definitely interested in joining any class action litigation that is pursued. Has anyone started any such proceedings? For a company to charge a cancellation fee, when they have engaged in deceptive and unethical practices, is not acceptable to me.
Rich-Ridgewood on Jan 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 PM:
Well add me to the FIOS unhappy customers list. Have had no internet for 5 days and they still are researching the problem ! Even though the TV and Phone are working fine, they cant figure out why my Internet suddenly stopped working. Of course, I can see that their server isnt authenticating from my router but they wont listen. And now its Friday and they just told me I would get a call back Monday but not guarantee that it will be fixed !
Cablevision internet was 100% solid.
Linda on Jan 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 PM:
Good Lord, I knew I could not possibly be the only one!!! I had Verizon bundle installed in Sept. 2008. When I tried to reboot my computer it had a fatal error. It worked before, but not after Verizon was installed. It cost me $98 to have it fixed. When I called Verizon they said it couldn't possibly have been anything they did. I had Verizon for only 9 days. There is a 15 day grace period in which to cancel. I cancelled within the 15 days and went back to Comcast. I received a bill and called to say I thought it was a bit high for 9 days of service. I was told to wait for the final bill, there would be deductions. The next bill I got was higher yet, and called again. No, don't pay that..wait for your final, final bill. Ok, then I got a bill (apparently from Fios not Verizon, although no one ever told me about that!) and that bill was a minus number!! So, I wait to see if they straighten it out. Then I get another bill claiming I did not return equipment. I pulled my UPS tracking info with the date it was delivered and who signed. They said they would take that off the bill. So I ask what do I owe? I want to pay the bill, but I do not know what I owe!! The so-called customer rep was to call me back on December 10th. NO CALL! On December 17th I get a call from a collection agency. They turned it over to a collection agency even though I made numerous calls trying to get it straightened out. So, once again I went through the ridiculous push this, push that, "I can help you with that" recordings, and spoke with someone else. After telling my story to her, she was going to pull the bill from the collection agency, recalculate and send me a bill. The collection agency called again and sent me a bill. I paid that bill thinking I was finished with the whole mess. No, I get home today and find yet another bill from Verizon for yet a different amount. I am so fed up. By the way, every one of those calls took from 1 to 2 hours. I truly am thinking about calling an attorney and filing suit against Verizon. Does anyone know if there is a class action suit? ...or how I go about getting one going? I don't even know if it is that Verizon is incompetent or just plain FRAUDULENT. How many people get disgusted and just pay??!! That's fraud in my eyes. They do not want to get anything straightened out...they only want your money..and more..and more..and more. They are nothing more than con artists and crooks.
Greg on Jan 4th, 2009 at 10:42 AM:
Boy, am I glad I found this site. I've had no phone since December 18th, about eight days after FIOS had been installed. I'm so frustrated right now.
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Jason Howard on Oct 27th, 2008 at 3:50 PM:
wow, and I thought I was the only one with horror stories.
I too have Verizon FIOS. Here's how my experience has been:
I ordered the triple package (phone, Internet, TV service) online. I had requested during sign-up that they move my current number from comcast over to verizon.
What a nightmare that was. It took me about 4 months to get my phone number ported over. The online order form apparently wasnt working correctly. Even the rep I eventually worked long term with to get this resolved admitted to the fact the online ordering process was in bad shape (Don't do it!)
Verizon sent techs out to my house 3 times for the phone issue, even though there was nothing for them to do physically at our house (the phone was hooked up during the initial install, just not the correct number.) They'd get to my house and ask what I needed done. They would show up without my knowledge they were even coming. They would then proceed to call the main support line and sit on hold, just like I would, for about 30minutes to an hour before talking with someone.
They finally were able to get my old phone number back, but it was the biggest cluster f*** I have ever had to deal with.
I do like the speed of the Interenet service, but I sorely miss the DishNetwork support and billing. I would get someone immediately without having some automated system make me run circles, and I never had to wait for more then a few minutes.
The new gripe with Verizon FIOS: all of a sudden HD channels I was able to watch as part of my upgraded HD package (like the Biography channel) now require an new upgraded package. I've noticed with at least two channels that I previously watched without issue now block me out. WTF, seriously...