FIOS and Me - pardon my rant

[Mommalina]

My FIOS battery died. May it rest in peace.

Before you read about my trials and tribulations with Verizon
service (or lack thereof), here's the silver lining: A new (the latest)
FIOS battery system was installed. I'm renaming my previously
sluggish XP computer Speedy Gonzalez !



My rant:
I suffered 3 days without land-phone, TV, and internet connection.
My medical alert depends on a working land-phone; I don't dare
get in the shower without first testing it and hanging it close by.

Thank God for my cell phone (which I rarely use except to take
with me in case of an emergency when away from home). I used
it for 3 days trying to get through to Verizon and/or arranging and
confirming the need for technical assistance. What a nightmare! I
wish they would direct some of their new-customer advertising
dollars to service current customers!

First, because of my medical alert, they promised to send someone
that day (Tuesday). No show. No call to tell me why. I made more
calls only to learn they were sending someone over on Wednesday,
same time scheduled. Again no show, no call. I made more calls
and never got through. Thursday morning they called to check if I
still needed technical assistance. Since I could not reboot the FIOS
battery (which they already knew), I said, "Yes, puleeeze!"

Second call Thursday morning: technician will be there at 12:59
(same time as first and second days) .... and so he was! Technician
on time, professional, knew what he was doing, did it well. Complete
new FIOS battery system installed. I then surmised Verizon probably
did not have enough savvy, trained technicians to render that kind of
complicated service in a timely fashion . Why not train/hire more savvy
techs and keep their current customers happy and loyal and not bad-
mouthing Verizon as I am doing here?


Bad, cheaply-made products from China drive me up a wall, but this
kind of customer service is state-side; we have no one to blame but
ourselves for putting up with it. Verizon spends more money on
incomprehensible "automated" customer service than live employees
who give a damn. No one, except the automated service, was rude.
Employees have to have the tools and authority to do the "right thing,"
or the employees' left hand can't possibly know what the automated
service's left hand is doing.

Thanks for allowing me to rant. .... now me and Speedy Gonzalez
are going to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

 

[Plastic Nev]

You aren't the only one Lina, believe me things with some service providers are just as bad here in the UK. Yes they will spend millions on advertising, no they won't spend much at all on actually providing a decent backup to their service. You can blame the worlds tax systems on this, advertising is a tax claimable business expense, providing maintenance of the existing network is not.

 

[Mommalina]

You aren't the only one Lina, believe me things with some service providers are just as bad here in the UK. Yes they will spend millions on advertising, no they won't spend much at all on actually providing a decent backup to their service. You can blame the worlds tax systems on this, advertising is a tax claimable business expense, providing maintenance of the existing network is not.

Nev, I'm almost sure expenses incurred maintaining the
existing network are deductible business expenses
here in the U.S., just as are salaries, supplies, etc.

Before the age of computers, I used to keep the books
for an engineering firm. You would be amazed at what
they can write off. I had to remind my honest, ethical
boss that I could not write off a few bottles of booze as
"engineering materials." He must have been in outer
space (like many brilliant engineers) when he marked
that on the receipt.

Advertising may have another advantage other than
being tax deductible and perhaps attracting/keeping
customers. Ever hear of "kickbacks" to those in charge
of advertising? Directing the advertising to a business
owned by or employing a relative or in which they may
own stock? Why do you think we have so many
obscenely wealthy government legislators? I wonder
who learned what from whom? They have it down to
a "T," unfortunately.

These days, nothing surprises me.

 

[AWS]

I have heard many similar stories about Verizon Fios so you're not alone. Sad thing is many service providers are just as bad and in some areas you don't have a choice on who to use.

 

[Mommalina]

Well, we made it 6 days before FIOS conked out again!

Took over an hour to get through to a live person who,
to my surprise, set up an appointment for the next
morning!

To my astonishment, the next day Verizon called and
said the technician was on his/her way! I really did
not believe it, but it was true. I wonder if bombarding
their last satisfaction surveys with negative rage
helped; who knows?

Seems the last tech nicked a wire when installing the
new system/battery package. A female tech figured
it out and patiently replaced the wire both inside and
outside of my home. Took over an hour.

The bright side of all this is that the tech programmed
my FIOS remote so I can turn off the TV without using
the TV remote. However, she said I could also mute
the TV with the FIOS remote, but no go. I wonder if
I have the wherewithal and patience to call about it!

Oh, well. Such is life. You win some, you lose some.

 

[allheart55 (Cindy E)]

A female tech figured
it out and patiently replaced the wire both inside and
outside of my home.

Of course she did.....

 

[Mommalina]

Of course she did.....

Yes, she did! Not only that, without my mentioning it or asking,
she reprogrammed the FIOS remote so I could turn the TV off
-- even though she somehow screwed up having it also mute
the sound. Who can fault her? She really tried to please and
make things easy for me and even thanked me for my patience!



She reminds me of one of my daughters and one of my sons --
great at customer relations. (BTW, my son could sell ice to an
Eskimo.)