Complaint Rating:

Company information:
Idearc Media
Plano, Texas
United States
www.idearc.com

Our company moved to new offices over 2 years ago, which unfortunately required we switch from ATT to Verizon. We anguished over getting a new phone number for our business, switching providers would not allow us to move the number, but Verizon got us a good one. We maintained our old ATT listing and set it up as a forwarding number for continuity, planning to jettison it after six months or so. We went public with our new number in our web site, business cards and letterhead, email signatures, and all other listings. We contacted all the web database companies (InfoUSA, etc.) to ensure that they had our new number as well. So far so good.

The problem started when Verizon (Idearc), who gave us our new number, published our old ATT number in their own directory- right next to our paid, bold listing with the correct number! For two years now this has caused confusion with some of our clients and has cost us unnecessarily, since we have felt forced to maintain our old number with forwarding. ATT got it right, by the way.

This problem was then compounded by the fact that some of those web listings are actually driven by what they find in phone listings- lo and behold, our old number begins creeping back out and we find ourselves having to constantly check various web listings and database companies regularly to be sure they are not suckered in to Idearc's mis-information.

Long story I know, but here's the kicker- Idearc says they get their information from other phone carriers and database companies, and can't be held responsible if the information is not correct. Per one Verizon yellow pages rep I spoke to, they do not verify this data. Can you imagine any other venue where a company can publish incorrect information about another one, but is not responsible? By the way, we still have to pay for the bold listing. Nothing like having to pay to have our business hurt.

Since Idearc can't seem to correct their database after repeated conversations with our rep, we have taken the bold move of canceling the forwarding number. We have canceled our on-line advertising program with Idearc, as well as our bold listings, until the old number flushes out of the system. Once they prove they can list us without mis-representing, we may consider re-upping.

I'll comment on their terrible web directory listing services separately. Word of warning- Idearc does not have their act together, at least in the Dallas area. Proceed with great caution on all fronts, if you must.