[JWBear]

We still don’t have DSL (see above). The Modem kit never arrived.

I called Verizon today from work. There were two numbers, one for Customer Service and one for Tech Support. The CS number had a wait time of 45 minutes to an hour, so I called the TS one.

The TS guy said that there is a problem with my order, and that is why the modem didn’t ship. He said that I need to talk to Billing, and transferred me. After a long wait, I spoke to a Billing Rep. She was sympathetic, but told me that they have nothing to do with shipping modem kits, and that she couldn’t even pull up my records until TS had finalized my order. She said she would transfer me to someone who could help.

I was on hold for about 10 minutes when a recorded voice came on to tell me I was number 147 in line, and the wit would be 45 minutes – She connected me to Customer Service….

I hung up and called Tech Support again. I got another guy who, as soon as I told him what I was calling about, said “I’ll connect you”. Another wait on hold – then “This is _____ in Billing, how may I assist you. !!!!!!

I shares my sad tale with her. She was also sympathetic, and also told me she couldn’t help. She put me on hold for Customer Service again.

Another call to Tech Support. I got a woman this time. She gave me the same line about contacting Billing. I told her that I had talked to Billing TWICE now, and they can’t help me.

I asked to speak to her supervisor. She told me no. She told me that since my account wasn’t finalized, I couldn’t speak to a supervisor!

I hung up the phone on her.

By this time I was steaming. So, I Googled the phone number for Verizon corporate headquarters. I found a number for the CEO’s office in NYC and called. I spoke to the secretary of the CEO of Verizon – I actually got through!

I explained what had happened. She was very nice, and transferred me to someone with a title like “Executive Manager for Sales and Customer Service” (I forgot her exact title). I explained the whole thing to her. She apologized, and said she would look in to it and give me a call back. Less than an hour later, she called! She told me that she found the problem with my order and fixed it. My modem kit would be sent the next day. She also said she would call me tomorrow to confirm it had been sent.

It pays to go to the top!