Paying too high of a price due to misinformation from Cust..

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I received my cell phone bill a few days ago and have been simmering
ever since. Normally my bill is around $38. This month -- $282! I was
flabbergasted and thought I better call customer service - again. Last
month my bill was wacked out ($142) and I called. The CSR said they
were having billing problems and would credit my time that I was
talking to other Verizon customers (with my boyfriends move to Texas
I'm logging more hours with him on his Verizon cell phone). The CSR
assured me they would have the problem fixed and that I wouldn't be
charged for long distance incoming calls from my boyfriend as he was
using Verizon. Imagine my surprise when I talked to a rep two days ago
and was pretty told, "Sorry you recieved misinformation, but the calls
from Texas are counted as part of your peak minutes because you are
not on the Nationwide Plan." It is so frustrating! They have offered
to knock off $100, but that still means my bill is $182 - that is a
lot of money for a grad student! Any suggestions? Thanks!

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"PrimeTime" <deonnedawson@msn.com> wrote in message
newse79692a.0409170745.56ddcb99@posting.google.com...
> I received my cell phone bill a few days ago and have been simmering
> ever since. Normally my bill is around $38. This month -- $282! I was
> flabbergasted and thought I better call customer service - again. Last
> month my bill was wacked out ($142) and I called. The CSR said they
> were having billing problems and would credit my time that I was
> talking to other Verizon customers (with my boyfriends move to Texas
> I'm logging more hours with him on his Verizon cell phone). The CSR
> assured me they would have the problem fixed and that I wouldn't be
> charged for long distance incoming calls from my boyfriend as he was
> using Verizon. Imagine my surprise when I talked to a rep two days ago
> and was pretty told, "Sorry you recieved misinformation, but the calls
> from Texas are counted as part of your peak minutes because you are
> not on the Nationwide Plan." It is so frustrating! They have offered
> to knock off $100, but that still means my bill is $182 - that is a
> lot of money for a grad student! Any suggestions? Thanks!


Either get on a national plan or see if a local one has in-network.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Philip® wrote:
> "Special Ed" <chasham97NO@SPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1KD2d.4519$n16.1205@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> "PrimeTime" <deonnedawson@msn.com> wrote in message
>> newse79692a.0409170745.56ddcb99@posting.google.com...
>>> I received my cell phone bill a few days ago and have been simmering
>>> ever since. Normally my bill is around $38. This month -- $282! I
>>> was flabbergasted and thought I better call customer service -
>>> again. Last month my bill was wacked out ($142) and I called. The
>>> CSR said they were having billing problems and would credit my time
>>> that I was talking to other Verizon customers (with my boyfriends
>>> move to Texas I'm logging more hours with him on his Verizon cell
>>> phone). The CSR assured me they would have the problem fixed and
>>> that I wouldn't be charged for long distance incoming calls from my
>>> boyfriend as he was using Verizon. Imagine my surprise when I
>>> talked to a rep two days ago and was pretty told, "Sorry you
>>> recieved misinformation, but the calls from Texas are counted as
>>> part of your peak minutes because you are not on the Nationwide
>>> Plan." It is so frustrating! They have offered to knock off $100,
>>> but that still means my bill is $182 - that is a lot of money for a
>>> grad student! Any suggestions? Thanks!
>>
>> Read and understand the terms of your plan. That way, you won't make
>> any more stupid mistakes...and most importantly, stop whining. You
>> screwed up-- so take some responsibility for your error and pay them
>> what you owe them.
>>
>> Edw.
>
>
> If you're retired or at home alot during the day, perhaps you've
> noticed that cellphone bills are a recurring theme on those court tv
> shows. Nearly always the person who ran up the bill didn't
> understand the limitations of their contract or thought the phone
> service was a 'gift.' Good grief.
>
> philip

Agreed, from a grad student no less. I can only assume a lack of
attention to detail. I still don't understand the picture from the above
though.

I am guessing that you are on a LOCAL digital choice plan? with no
long distance included?

>>> phone). The CSR assured me they would have the problem fixed and
>>> that I wouldn't be charged for long distance incoming calls from my
>>> boyfriend as he was using Verizon.

You weren't charged long distance for INCOMING calls right? I am
guessing you were charged long distance for *outgoing* calls to Texas
since your local plan doesn't include long distance?

>>> recieved misinformation, but the calls from Texas are counted as
>>> part of your peak minutes because you are not on the Nationwide
>>> Plan." It is so frustrating!

"peak minutes" does not equal "long distance"... details, details...
So actually the incoming calls were counted as peak minutes instead
of "IN NETWORK" minutes because your boyfriend (although on
VZW) did not make the calls from your local calling area?

>>> They have offered to knock off $100,

I wonder why they did that? Don't let Killer hear about this...

>>> but that still means my bill is $182 - that is a lot of money for a
>>> grad student! Any suggestions? Thanks!

Lets see... grad student -- short on money -- probably went for the
local plan to save a couple of bucks -- problem with bill last month.
You're probably really busy with your studies and don't want to
spend time dealing with the practicle aspects of every day life.
On the other hand you don't seem to want to sacrifice much either.

My suggestion? Dump the cell phone. Have your boy friend call you
at regular times at home.

-Quick

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"Peter Pan" <Marcs1102@Hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<2r3fm6F14q7hfU1@uni-berlin.de>...
> Glad you are such an idiot.. I am 51 years old and went back to school to
> get a masters degree, and catch up on new technology (got my bachelors in
> 1986 from Pu
> >
> > "Peter Pan" <Marcs1102@Hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:2r0fgaF13rp56U1@uni-berlin.de...


While there is truth in the posts which point out that he should have
read the terms., etc more carefully---It ain't that simple.

We that read these forums are probably better informed than the
majority of the customers that any cell carrier has--the average
customer ain't that well informed) And to be informed could be the
subject of a good college level course--and that would be one course
per carrier, and would need to be updated about 3 or 4 times a year.

I have had both vzw and sprint service for years--my reason for sprint
is even with their problems, I still feel better using sprint when
there is any chanch I might be roaming--into the late 90's roaming
was almost always an adventure and could cost a much as a $1 per
minute--then came sprint, which was relatively straight forward, and
now with the f&ca it's even better ( ther ain't many blank spots on
their map)

So I keep a vzw local plan, and their coverage is the best here, etc,
etc---


My point, finally, this post reminded me of a line I read on the back
of a recent vzw brochure------in BIG RED LETTERS "No Restrictions, No
worries'

Well you damn well better worry.

While for the most part this is true, there is an entire page of mouse
print in the brochure, and I have to read some of it mumerous times
trying to understand what it is saying. examples ( even though fixed
now the old terms explaining anytime minutes were priceless)--another
was the former explanation of the allocation of anytime minutes
between phones on a share plan. And then there is the seperate
brochure on terms of service and conditions, in which it essentially
says vzw can change/do anything they want to, and send you the bill
for it.

There are so many different plans, features, etc, etc, I have found
that a lot of the c/s folks both in store and corporate are
misinformed ( ask two different employees, may get 2 different
answers, especially on odd subjects)
So what would make anyone think the average customer could understand,
especially after reading on the brochures/ store sign/ etc which say
"NO RESTTICTIONS/NO WORRIES) Maybe we should ask for a pre-nup
agreement???

Opinions??

OMO

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

plane@usa.com (plane) wrote in
news:68a9acb2.0409181919.3fcc7fe1@posting.google.com:

>
> While for the most part this is true, there is an entire page of mouse
> print in the brochure, and I have to read some of it mumerous times
> trying to understand what it is saying. examples ( even though fixed
> now the old terms explaining anytime minutes were priceless)--another
> was the former explanation of the allocation of anytime minutes
> between phones on a share plan. And then there is the seperate
> brochure on terms of service and conditions, in which it essentially
> says vzw can change/do anything they want to, and send you the bill
> for it.

Read the mouseprint on the "insurance" plan, sometime. I've had my teeth
kicked in on this newsgroup for pointing out some of its details.

Of course, BILLING you for non-existant services is one thing. Being PAID
for non-existant services is quite another matter. I'm always amazed at
how so many just pay whatever there is with no questions about it.
Stupids.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Turbocane wrote:
> "Brad" <me@here.invalid> wrote in message
> news:xY-dnct5wJZ7-NHcRVn-jw@sigecom.net...
>> What the hell is a grad student (or any college student) doing with
>> a cell phone. You should be using the money spent on the cell phone
>> for school costs, instead of running up debt for student loans. That
>> will haunt you for the rest of your life.
>>
> It is cheaper for my son to have a cell phone to call us than it is
> to pay long distance service, which is a monthly bill, on his dorm
> room phone.

We're still talking convenience (yours?) here right? Your son doesn't
have to have long distance service on his dorm room phone to
*receive* long distance calls right? "Son, we're going to call you
every Thurs. at 10 pm.". If something comes up he can go down
the hall to the pay phone and use the pre-paid AT&T calling card
you gave him for unexpected calls home.... If it's an emergency on
your end you can contact the dorm to contact him. It doesn't take a
college degree to work this out . Or does he just get
sudden rushes of acute loneliness and *has* to call home at random
times during the day.

The original grad student was pleading for sympathy because it was
such a large unexpected expense for a "grad student on a limited
budget". (That wasn't your daughter was it? -). "but, but, I *must*
have a cell phone to maintain contact with my out of state boy friend
at an instant's notice any time of the day or night". Yea, I know the
point was that the OP didn't understand her contract, and it sounds
like she didn't ask CS the question clearly enough, or correctly, and
the CS, based on that, gave her an answer that she wanted to hear
so she didn't clarify and thought everything was fine. I don't think
it was so much a matter of misinformation as a matter of
miscommunication.

> BTW he has student loans, I had student loans, his
> father had student loans, his brother etc. Better student loans than
> no college at all. Ten years isn't such a long time.

No problems with student loans. It's just that borrowing less is
usually better and part of that effort is determining what is a convenience/
luxury and what is a necessity.

-Quick

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 23:12:55 -0400, speedy <seedy@raex.com> chose to add
this to the great equation of life, the universe, and everything:

>Call CS back and tell them you were not told correctly about the proper
>plan. They backdate and re-do plans ALL the time! Go over your minutes?
>Just call and get a larger minute plan for that month and call back next
>month to fall back if you need to.

No no no!!!!!

If you are near the end of your month and are over your minutes, changing
plans at that point will only make it worse! Verizon calls this
"prorating". What it boils down to is that the excessive number of minutes
you have already used will be applied to an even shorter period of time,
with a correspondingly lower number of allowed minutes, so it will just
come out as *more* minutes over your plan that you have to pay 45¢ each
for.

--
David Streeter, "an internet god" -- Dave Barry
http://home.att.net/~dwstreeter
Remove the naughty bit from my address to reply
Expect a train on ANY track at ANY time.
"More that half (55 percent) of women undergraduates are female."
- 'About Women on Campus,' newsletter published by the National Association
for Women in Education

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

And George jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and Leon jumped off the bridge
because George did.

You've fallen victim to the Bankers Associations propaganda.

You can buy a prepaid AT&T calling card at Sam's that will get your son
3.4cents per minute long distance calling from his dorm phone...... No
monthly fee involved.
LOTS cheaper than a cell phone. And gives you control over the spending.

No student loans does not mean no college. It means someone didn't plan well
for college.

"But DAD, all the kids are doing it..........."


"Turbocane" <Turbocane1nospamthem@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:Wsy3d.126052$3l3.53064@attbi_s03...
>
> "Brad" <me@here.invalid> wrote in message
> news:xY-dnct5wJZ7-NHcRVn-jw@sigecom.net...
> > What the hell is a grad student (or any college student) doing with a
cell
> > phone. You should be using the money spent on the cell phone for school
> > costs, instead of running up debt for student loans. That will haunt you
> for
> > the rest of your life.
> >
> It is cheaper for my son to have a cell phone to call us than it is to
pay
> long distance service, which is a monthly bill, on his dorm room phone.
> BTW he has student loans, I had student loans, his father had student
> loans, his brother etc. Better student loans than no college at all.
Ten
> years isn't such a long time.
>
>
> T
>
>