Complaint Rating:

Company information:
Verizon Wireless
Alexandria, Virginia
United States

My fiancé and I both have separate Verizon Wireless cell phone accounts and wanted to put them onto one plan to save some money. We've both had our phone numbers for a long time and have different contract renewal dates and different area codes on the phones. Ideally, we both wanted to keep our cell numbers instead of changing them so I did what any logical person would do - I contacted customer service.

I decided to submit my question to them through their website so that I could get a response via email. It's easier for me to check when I have time and it has the added bonus of any response I'd get would be in writing. After a few days I get a weird phone call from a number the call id says is "unavailable" so I let it go to voicemail. Turns out it was Verizon Customer Service calling to confirm that my question had been answered via email and that I had no further questions. Problem being I had never received an email. I received a similar call the next day while at work and I couldn't answer. Still, no email.

First I double checked my spam filters to make sure I was not missing the email. After all, I should make sure the problem is on my end before casting blame. Once making sure the spam filters were not the problem I resubmitted my question, the same as before, adding two key things. First, that this was the second time I had to contact them via this form as they failed to answer me the first time. Second, that I stressed at the beginning and end of my message that I wanted to be contacted only by email and not by phone as it is difficult for me to answer my phone during the day. I don't know how much clearer a person can be.

No email came but I did notice a missed call from number "unavailable" one day during work. The voicemail was from, you guessed it, Verizon saying I could call the customer service number. I double checked my email and still no answer there. Now rather annoyed and really needing to know the answer to my question I called Verizon and tried to be nice to the guy who answered my call since I can only presume he had never set eyes on my account or questions before.

After first telling him on the recorded line that I was displeased that I had received no email answer from 2 queries and had been contacted by phone after explicitly saying I did not want to be contacted by phone I apologized for sounding short assuring him I knew he had nothing to do with that and moved on to my question.

He tells me that I do not need to wait for the renewal date on either contract and that we can both keep our current cell numbers in spite of having different area codes, one of which is not local. He also said, only slightly unrelated, that one can switch to Verizon and keep their current cell number regardless of area code and where you are. This is to my knowledge not the case. Two years ago when I switched to Verizon I had change my number because the area code did not match the region in which I was physically making the switch. Also, if you check Verizon's website it says that you cannot port a cell phone number outside the local area of service. Who am I to believe: the guy on the phone or the combination of experience and what Verizon has in writing on their webpage? Hmm...

So now I have my answer, but I'm not 100% sure I can believe it, and the guy starts pushing me to "update my phone every 90 days." I have no idea what he is talking about as he starts telling me that they recommend updating the phone every 90 days by dialing *228 so I stop listening to the instructions and reasonably ask, "Why do I need to do this?" He says, rather rudely, "Let me finish." Further frustrated I am not really hearing his instructions (because I'm annoyed again) and he then tells me it is to update the roaming areas. Ok...I have first of all never heard of updating my roaming area every 90 days but ok, fine, I'll play this game...why couldn't you have told me WHAT you wanted me to do BEFORE you irritated me by insisting on telling me HOW to do it first? Why should I listen to how to do something if I don't know what it is and the implication of "update your phone" sounds expensive and unnecessary?

Upset again I quickly got myself off the phone, hopeful that the call really was on a recorded line as they claim. I wish other cell companies had been reception where I lived because that is the ONLY thing keeping me with Verizon. I hate the sale calls and random sales text messages (especially the ones that come at 11pm on a week night - you don't know I don't have small children or an early bedtime.) I also can only hope my rude customer service rep wasn't a complete idiot and that my fiancé and I can both keep our numbers and switch our two individual plans to a family plan before the renewal date of our contracts without going through hell...

This is why I wanted a response in email, without having to talk to someone, that I could print and waive in someone's face when they told me otherwise...