BluePop13

Published on : 27 January 10

by :

in : Discount, Life, ... Money

Comments : 10 Comments

My girlfriend and I both have been customers of Verizon Wireless here in Iowa where we live and we both like the service quite a lot. She had a prepaid phone when we first started dating a few years ago and her family had Verizon. I came from US Cellular which I still miss a bit but over all Verizon isn’t too bad.

A few weeks ago my girlfriend’s cell phone broke in half after flipping it open. This was a manufacturers defect but because of how long she’d had the phone they wouldn’t do anything about fixing it. I not only went to a service center but also called the company several times and explained the situation in hope that there was something they could do to take care of this for us. Nothing.

They recommended we just buy a new phone but we have no money for that. They said we could file some kind of thing with insurance but we’re already paying six dollars a month, per phone, for insurance – and we have to pay around forty dollars to have this fixed?! Hell no!

Take Action

I called and called and called the company until I finally got someone who would listen to our situation and actually wanted to help us out with our problem. She said there were phones that have discounts and because my line had an annual upgrade they could send us a free phone to replace the one that broke. Then when her line is ready for an upgrade I could get a new phone if I wanted to.

Great! Finally someone who actually gives a damn about their customers. Personally I have not had the best luck with Verizon Wireless but there are a few times when they DO do something worth your while. Am I complaining about the company? Not necessarily. Every company has its policies but when it conflicts with the customer’s best interest I have a hard time liking that.

I do admit that I haven’t had much trouble with Verizon since getting the phone I currently have (the same phone that broke for my girlfriend – the one I’m linking to is actually the newer model from the one I still have) which is the LG VX8360 and had nothing BUT trouble with the Razr phone. I just don’t recommend the Razr but now our roommate has it and is doing just fine.

Conclusion

This isn’t a very long update but after speaking with the customer representative over the phone and her helping me like she did I gave her my blog address and said I would post an update before the end of January about the great service they’d done for my girlfriend and myself.

We haven’t got the new phone yet but it should be here by morning. Let’s hope so!

What do you expect and look forward to when purchasing a new cell phone or just buying something at a store and they say they can’t do something because it’s policy even though you know you’re not the only customer who’s suffering because of their “policy”?

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10 Comments

Keith

January 27th, 2010 10:16 AM

I was with Verizon for years and moved to an area they couldn’t give me a local number, so I had to go through days of fighting with them to let me out of my contract, after listening to CS reps tell me “I didn’t tell you to move” (I was transferred because of my job) I finally got someone that agreed to let me out of my contract.

Before that I never had a problem with them, I have been with Sprint/Nextel since then (about 5yrs) and other than some none english speaking customer service I have been happy.

Wait until you get your first Blackberry, you will think the world has ended if something happens to it! LOL Well worth the insurance I pay on mine as it would cost $400-$500 to replace, so the $50 isn’t so bad.

Thanks for the comment over on my blog too….
Keith´s last blog ..Who Is Your Target Market?

[Reply]

BluePop13 Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 4:52 pm

Keith,

Well, the good news is (as I just woke up) we just got the phone today. The package is sitting right beside me so I’m happy to announce it did arrive.

I’m not so sure about a Blackberry… What makes them so great?

[Reply]

getting the motivation to lose weight

January 27th, 2010 05:30 PM

Fantastic post, I really like your style.

[Reply]

BluePop13 Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 7:45 pm

Joe,

Thanks for the comment! I think every post I do shapes a new part of who I am – that goes for all bloggers in my opinion.

Stop by again!

[Reply]

Jeffrey

January 27th, 2010 05:33 PM

As a Blackberry owner and a blog owner for Blackberry’s (http://blackberrybabble.com) I think they are pretty cool!
However, I am not a Verizon Fan and they are not your friend. I have had many problems with Verizon. Some have been resolved to my satisfaction others have been a killer.
One instance, I received a gift from my sister of a Blackberry and when I went to activate I was told that I did not have to sign a contract as I was already a customer and had been for many years, so I activated. I received a contract in the mail a few days later and called Verizon and was told that I would be billed for the phone if I did not sign a new contract or I could return the phone. I didn’t do either. They billed me anyway.
One instance, I think not!
Now there is a move under way to raise early termination fees by a substantial amount. I’m looking for a way out!
Right now I live in an area that is only serviced by Verizon and Bellsouth.Bellsouth can not give me a clear signal so I am stuck with Verizon.
Jeffrey´s last blog ..Whats Wrong. With Dah Postt ?

[Reply]

BluePop13 Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Jeffrey,

I truly don’t believe that “It’s The Network” is true for Verizon. In fact, I’m not a huge fan of them myself but everyone I know is with the company so I’m with them simply to save money. We all love saving money!

I don’t mind them much now though because I really haven’t had much of an issue with my phone or service recently. It’s just a damn shame that so many companies think they’re hott sh*t when it’s ONLY the customer that’s even the reason in the end that make a company what it is. Nothing else. The company might be doing some great things, just as bloggers provide great content, but without customers/readers, nothing.

Thanks for sharing!

[Reply]

Gabe | freebloghelp.com

January 29th, 2010 12:21 PM

Glad Verizon was able to help you. I wouldn’t know how good they are since I’ve been an AT&T/Cingular customer for over a decade now.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Start making money with Twitter today (literally)

[Reply]

BluePop13 Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Hey Gabe,

Well, Verizon was helpful this time and I’m glad because half the time I feel they could do more than they do.

You’ve been with AT&T/Cingular for a long time now it sounds like… What makes you stay with them?

[Reply]