Three nights ago, I got a phone call on my new local VOIP phone number here in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was a recorded announcement from Verizon Wireless. The CID on the call was from the Seattle, Washington area.
It said that there was an important change of status on my account (interesting, since I've not used Verizon Wireless in a very long time). I do currently have a reseller's service that resells Verizon, but I've no direct account with Verizon and that account is completely current.
It gave me a toll-free number to call and a six digit code to dial in when I called it.
When I did, it asked me for the pin. I entered it. It asked me if I was a certain person (it was a female name, I just didn't get all of it). I selected the option that said that this person was not at that this number. The recording apologized for the inconvenience. I hung up.
When I came home tonight, there was another of the same recording on my voice mail. I called the number and entered the six digit code. I got the same routine. I accidentally punched the number one (which meant that she was ready to listen to the phone). It was a collections call. I hung up. I called back, went through the routine, and pressed the button to tell them that this person was not at this number.
I called Verizon Wireless and I got this kid named John who could make no sense out of it. I told him they were calling my home number. He couldn't find the number and insisted that it wasn't a collection call but a sales call and he could do nothing about it. He kept asking me the same questions I had already answered over and over and I admit I was getting upset with him because he couldn't seem to understand what was happening or was even paying attention to the answers I was giving him because he kept asking the same questions again and again.
I demanded to speak to his supervisor. He told me that the supervisor would only tell me the same thing he told me (which I know was untrue). I kept telling him to drop the spiel and put the supervisor on. He just kept telling me there was nothing the supervisor could do (and we know that isn't true). When I told him to knock it off and put the supervisor on the phone, he told me I'd have to hold for a half hour before a supervisor could speak to me.
I told him to have his supervisor call me at home at my cell phone number. I warned him that I'd make a complaint of telephone harrassment against Verizon Wireless if the supervisor didn't call me tonight. He said the supervisor would be calling me tonight (I'm not holding my breath).
If there is anyone from Verizon Wireless on T.D. that could help get these collection calls for another person stop, I'd appreciate it if you could email me.
Regards,
Fred Atkinson
***** Moderator's Note *****Fred,
IANALB I'd handle it this way:
- Stop talking to Verizon: they're not listening. Do _not_ address them as "vaguely humanoid trolls with some resemblance to sentient beings".
- Write to your state's PUC and complain.
- Write to the FCC and complain.
- Write to EVERY newspaper, radio station, and TV station in your area, and complain.
- Write to your state representative/assemblyman/whatever, and complain.
- Write to your state senator. Replay previous tape.
You'll be lucky to get one reply from all this, but some of the people you write to _will_ call Verizon and ask them to explain, and you're problem will mysteriously disappear.
Bill Horne Temporary Moderator
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